ON ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 



241 



evaporation, and consequently less water will be required. When 

 watering is necessary, it should be done with a fine rose, 

 and with great care, remembering that a strong flow of water 

 will disturb the seed, probably washing it all to one side of the 

 pan, if not washing it away altogether. A good plan when 

 watering very fine seeds, and also the seedlings when they 

 appear, is to stand the pots in water up to their rims, so that the 

 water moistens the soil from below : when doing this, care 

 must be taken that the water does not flow over the side of the 

 pot, or serious consequences will follow. The glass must be 

 removed from the pots as soon as the seedlings appear. The 

 young seedlings should have plenty of light, but be shaded from 

 strong sunlight. As soon as they are strong enough, they should 

 be pricked off to give them more room. This may be done into 

 pans, boxes, or even into frames, and when they are thus 

 established, they may be gradually hardened off, and planted out 

 into the open border about the end of May or beginning of June. 



The following is a select list of kinds, and an extended list of 

 other desirable varieties will be found in the "Appendix." 



Ageratums are useful bedders, flowering continuously until 

 destroyed by frost : the dwarf forms are charming for edgings 

 and for small beds. A. mexicafiiim is of free, branching habit, 

 growing ift. high : it has lavender-blue flowers. "When grown 

 for bedding purposes it may be either pegged down like the 

 Verbena or allowed to grow to its full height. Several forms 

 of Ageratum have originated under cultivation, amongst which are : 

 Imperial Dwarf, 6in. to Qin. high, with porcelain-blue flowers. 

 Blue Perfection, gin. high ; a compact variety with dark blue 

 flowers. Snowflake, gin. high ; a free-flowering showy variety, 

 with pure white flowers. luteiim^ high : a new yellow 



Ageratum, useful for cut flowers. There is also a variety with 

 variegated leaves. 



Alonsoa linifolia is a charming little annual, i^ft. high, 

 with graceful dark green foliage and bright orange-scarlet flowers. 

 A. Warsceiviczii^ i^ft. to 2ft. high, has bright crimson flowers. 

 These are the best of the species, and are quite easy to grow, 

 either in the borders or in pots. The seed may be sown in 

 ]\Iarch, and the plants will flower in June and July. 



Amaranthus is a genus containing several effective ornamental 

 foliage plants invaluable for bedding purposes. The seed should 

 be sown in a hotbed frame in April, and the seedlings trans- 

 planted when large enough into another hotbed, finally trans- 

 ferring to the open border early in June. A. caudatiis (Love- 

 Lies-Bleeding) (Fig. 130), 2ft. to 3ft. high, has dark, pendent 



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